Tu es in Caelo
by KokePasu
Summary: Ladonia makes a wish about Kugelmugel that comes true. What happens when Kugelmugel goes on a journey to reverse the wish and doesn't come back?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I dropped my pencil in disgust. There was no way I would finish this in time for the Expo tomorrow. I leaned back in my chair and glanced over at Leo. He was almost done with his work, painting the courtyard below his window. Somehow he always managed to finish things more quickly than I did. I looked at what I was trying to draw. It was a person, or at least a person on steroids. How come Kugel's always ended up perfect? It wasn't fair. He would always be the better artist. Leo met his clear violet eyes with mine. He tilted his head a little bit, his braids shifting ever so slightly. "What's wrong, Ladonia-kun?" I sighed and gestured at the paper in front of me. "This isn't working. I'm not naturally talented like you are." Kugel shook his head, his eyes shut. "That's not true at all."

I was suddenly kind of angry. "Stop lying to me! I know it's bad!" I said, my voice raising. Leo looked concerned. "Ladonia-kun?" My eyes flashed in rage. "You're always so perfect all of the time! I always have to hear 'Oh, your art is okay, but look at Kugel's to see how it's supposed to be done!' You, the little goody two shoes who never cares about anyone else's feelings! I wish you couldn't make art anymore so it didn't get rubbed in my face all of the time!" I immediately regretted saying that. Kugel's eyes were filled with tears+, spilling down his cheeks and landing in his lap. "I... Didn't know you felt that way about me..." He stood up and rushed out of the room, his silver braids whisking behind him. "Oh, no..." I whispered.

What if Leo stopped being an artist forever? I would never forgive myself. I flopped onto my bed, trying to ignore the feeling of dread inside. I cried myself to sleep, so focused on my error that I didn't hear Kugel enter the room hours later. I woke up when I felt him gently wipe the tears out of my eyes with his striped sleeve. As he leaned down, I felt his soft hair touching my cheek. I pretended to be asleep so that he wouldn't leave. He curled up next to me and I heard him lightly snoring fifteen minutes later. I sighed, reaching over to move Kugel's bangs out of his eyes. My friend was so loyal. I can't believe that after I told him such terrible things, he was kind enough to brush tears off my cheek.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of Kugel's cooking. "Your dorm was unlocked." He said quietly. I sat up and yawned, rubbing the tiredness out of my eyes. I padded over to where my friend was standing.

"I am so sorry about yesterday." Kugel looked down at what he was cooking. "You should be." He responded. I shook my head.

"Please forgive me. I don't know what I'd do if you hated me." Leo sighed. "I could never hate you." He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, I noticed. Kugel closed his eyes.

"I tried drawing this morning." He whispered.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"I... couldn't."

"What?! Because of what I said?" Kugelmugel contemplated this.

"No, it definitely wasn't that. What you said hurt me for an hour or so, but not really. When I tried to draw, my arm wouldn't let me touch the paper with my pencil. It was like two opposite magnets facing each other... No matter what I did, some force refused to let me draw."

"Do you think it's some psychological thing?" I said. I was really worried now. Leo shook his head.

"No, I really wanted to make art... It was like a glass wall was separating me from the paper. It was all very weird." Kugel turned to face me. "What exactly did you say last night?" I cringed.

"Don't make me... repeat it. I hurt you, and I don't want to again."

"Really?" He said sarcastically. His face matched his tone. "Does it look like I'll be offended?" He had a good point there.

"I said... Oh gosh, Kugel-chan, I said that I wished you couldn't make art anymore! What if it came true?! Try and draw for me." Kugel grabbed a pen and my science journal and tried to doodle something. His pen couldn't get within a centimeter of the paper. "Try writing." The pen suddenly gave way and Leo wrote "Hello" on the lined paper. "What the heck?" I said.

"It's just like I told you!" said Kugel. "If I'm willingly trying to make art, then my body seizes up."

I rubbed my temple. "That's confusing. A lot of stuff can be classified as art, but it only won't let you make art if you yourself consider it to be art?"

"Stop being confusing!" Said Kugel. "Our readers won't understand!"

What? I thought. Kugel sighed. "So far, I can't draw, paint, do sculpturing... anything I consider to be art, I can't do."

"What should we do?!" I asked. Kugelmugel tilted his head, thinking.

"I read a story about a place you could go to reverse wishes. It's really cheesy, but it's pretty much our only option here." Alexis walked over to the shelf on my wall. I think I left it here..." He ran his finger along the spines. "Here we go, Wünschen Hoffen." He held up a book with a faded leather cover and silver lettering. Kugel thumbed through the pages until he found the one he was looking for. "Ah, here we go. 'Sometimes, to teach a lesson, star demons will grant wishes for people. The wishes are hardly ever are wanted by the person. To remove the wish, the person must find the demon and offer their most prized possession to trade. If it isn't their most prized possession, the star demons will often kill the human in the most gruesome way for lying to them.' Wow, that's cheerful." he finished sarcastically. I shook my head.

"Do you know where the demons are, if they even exist at all?"

Kugel sighed. "Yes, actually, I do." My face changed in concern.

"Wait, are you actually going to go?!"

Kugel smiled. "I have to. I would rather die than not be able to make art ever again."

I pulled Kugel close. "Don't go. It's all my fault, and I never would be able to forgive myself if you died."

"Ladonia-kun..." Kugel looked up at me. His eyes were full of tears. "I have to go. I'm so sorry." He blinked, and tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Shhh... Don't cry." I said, stroking his white hair. He pushed away from me.

"Come back to my dorm with me and help me pack." He said softly.

I trailed behind Kugel down the hall, my shoes squeaking on the patterned linoleum. He unlocked the door to his dorm and I trudged inside after Leo. He sighed and looked around the room.

"What should I bring? I don't even know where to start!" I mulled this over.

"Well, water, for starters. Lots of water. And food, too. Bring something to climb with and something to keep you warm." Kugel got a backpack out of his closet and loaded it with water bottles, freeze- dried fruit, a blanket, and a rope.

"Is that good?" He asked.

"Better pack a small tent and the Wünschen Hoffen, too." Kugel put the large book into the backpack. He opened a drawer and dug around in it. "Here we go, a tent." He shoved a rather large canvas bag into his backpack.

"The only thing left is my most prized possession." he said.

"Do you even know what it is?" I asked.

"I have no idea. Maybe my ring or my paintbrush? I'll bring both just in case." Leo said. He pulled the paintbrush from where it was perched on his ear and dropped it in the backpack. "I'm already wearing the ring, so I'll just keep it on." He looked down. "I need to change my clothes; this isn't going to work for hiking and climbing."

I helped Kugel look through his clothes to find some to wear. We ended up choosing a loose white shirt and black shorts. He put them on and modeled for me. "What do you think?"

I blushed. "Well, it looks good… Are you going to wear your hat, though?"

"Oh, you're right!" Kugel took off his hat and put it in the backpack. "I'm going to write the directions to where the demons live. If I'm not back in a month, follow the directions and come rescue me. I would draw a map, but, you know... " He wrote down the directions in his notebook and tore it out, leaving a jagged edge in his notebook.

He handed it to me, his hand lingering a second longer than it should have. He picked up the blue backpack and turned to leave, but I grabbed his hand. He turned back to face me. "What is it?" he asked softly. I pulled him into a warm embrace, rocking him back and forth.

"Be safe." I whispered into his hair.

"I….. can't promise that." He said honestly. I released him, blushing, then averted my gaze.

"So, um… I'll see you then?"

"Yeah…." said Kugel. He walked out the door, but then rushed back and pecked me on the cheek. Kugel blushed and then turned to dash out the door.

I gently touched my tingling cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Two weeks later, I had a dream about Kugel. It was a childhood memory, one that I had almost forgotten up until that moment. Leo was smiling up at me, the plum blossoms falling onto his silver hair and the sun illuminating his lilac eyes.

"Ladonia-kun, what is love?" he had asked me. I thought this over.

"Love can be a lot of things. I don't really understand it yet, but I think that love to want something so much that nothing can stand in your way." Kugel fell silent.

"Do you love me, Ladonia-kun?"

"I love you because you're my best friend and because you always listen to my problems. You are like a brother to me, Kugel." For some reason, Leo had looked crestfallen. "Like a brother, huh?" He sighed.

All was silence for a couple minutes. Kugel had his eyes closed, and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

"Hey, Kugel, I found this this morning." I said, leaning down and handing Leo a silver ring that matched the shade of his hair perfectly.

"What is it?" asked Kugel.

"It's a promise ring. You give it to somebody when you make a promise, I think."

Kugel held it up to the light. An infinity symbol was carved into the inside of the ring.

"What are you promising me?" he asked gently.

"I'm promising you that I will always love you." I said happily. Kugel slipped the ring onto his left ring finger.

"Thank you, Ladonia-kun…. I wish I had something to give you in return…." I smiled down at him.

"Just being your friend is enough." I said to him. He grinned at me.

"I promise to love you too, forever and ever!"

I woke up then, and touched my cheek. Maybe he had meant something else when he had said that he loved me. Why else would he kiss me? I clutched his shirt to my chest and breathed in. It still smelled like him, paint mixed with something... maybe roses? The shirt was purple and white striped and was rumpled. It was covered with dried paint, which made it art, at least to me. I sighed and got up to go to my classes. It was lunch break, so I had gone back to my dorm to eat my own food. I grabbed my bag, had Kugel's directions on a folded up piece of paper in one of the pockets. I pushed through the crowds of people and made my way to my next class. This was a high school completely dedicated to art, a place where we lived, worked, and had a social life. Well, most of us at least.

I was jolted by a push from behind.

"Where'd your little friend go, Ladonia? Did you make him run away after you tried to make a move on him?" A tall person I didn't know laughed at me. "He's so weak that he probably couldn't handle the pressure of being a real artist! Not that he is one, anyway. It was kind of obvious that he was gay from the start, with his long hair and the way he always hung around you." I glared up at him.

"Don't talk about Leo that way. He's the most kindest, sweetest person that I know." The guy rolled his eyes.

"Or what? What could you possibly do to me, ya little faggot?" I tensed to jump on him, but Wy jumped out of nowhere to hold me back.

"Don't! Aeterna isn't worth your attention! He's just being stupid, is all." I struggled, but Wy's surprisingly strong arms held me back. Aeterna laughed mockingly.

"So, now a girl is stronger than you?" he said tauntingly. Wy cooly glared at him.

"That is the most sexist thing I have ever heard, you pig!" She said. Wy drew her arm back and punched him in the face with all her might. Aeterna was knocked backwards, stunned. "You better watch out!" He yelled after us as she steered me away.

"Don't listen to him." She said. "he probably hasn't even met Kugel before." I sighed. "You're right. I shouldn't let it get to me." In reality, what Aeterna said really shook me up. Did people really see Kugel like that? Was he bullied and just never told me?

I pondered this for the rest of the day. I heard people whispering to their friends when they thought I couldn't hear them, pointing and gesturing at me when they thought I couldn't see them. It got worse and worse as the days dragged on. I was getting more and more worried about Kugel, who had left three and a half weeks ago. It was almost a month, and he wasn't back yet. Worry for him was making me sick. It was almost impossible to eat without my stomach clenching and twisting inside of me.

When the month was almost up, Aeterna caught me after school and slammed my head against the wall. Following Italy's advice, I didn't fight back. This would only provoke him and make it worse, according to him.

"What? Are you too scared to fight me?!" He yelled.

"No, just think that you aren't worth my time." I said, grinning. Aeterna punched me in the face and lifted me up by my collar.

"What did you say?!"

"I... Said you're...not worth..my time..." I spat through gritted teeth. My mouth was bleeding, making it hard to speak. Aeterna kneed me in the gut.

"You don't even deserve to be alive! Go back to wherever you came from! You don't belong here!" He dropped me to the ground and put his foot on my face. "Got that?!" He demanded as he dug my face into the cold pavement. I didn't want to give him satisfaction, but it was my only choice here.

"Yes...sir..." I groaned. "Now run along home!" He said, pulling me up roughly and pushing me away.

I trudged back to my dorm slowly. I opened the door and started to clean up my face with a warm towel. By the time I was finished, the towel was more red than white. I put ice on my cheek where it was already bruising up. I sat down on my bed and opened my bag to look for my homework. Where was it? My hand brushed a folded up piece of paper at the bottom of the bag. I took it out to examine it in the light. It was Kugel's directions to the star demons. Through my swollen mouth, I smiled grimly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I was breathing heavily as I pulled myself up the steep, dusty cliff. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and my arms moaned in protest. It's all for Kugel, it's all for Kugel. I reminded myself. I had been traveling for my second day now, and there was still a ways to go. I clambered onto the ledge and rolled over onto my back. I forced my tired hands to open my bag and pulled out a water bottle. I took a small swig, trying to conserve the precious liquid.

So far, the instructions had been far from normal. It included tapping rocks, pushing secret branch levers, and rock climbing, which I found out I was horrible at. There was a rock on the ledge. I crawled over and tapped it seven times. It gave way and fell into a dark pit below it. I heard the sounds of it rolling and crashing into things. I looked at the directions. "Go into tunnel." _Oh crap_, I thought.

I peered into the gaping hole beneath me. I was supposed to jump into there? There were probably poisonous snakes, spiders… _If Kugel went down there, _I thought, _so can I._ I stepped back for momentum, grabbed my bag, and the jumped into the hole. Some kind of metal was lining the inside of the chute, making me slide very fast. I crossed my arms over my chest so that they didn't get caught on anything and that I could hold my bag easier. The tunnel smelled like smoke and had a faint hint of mold. As I slid down, I began to wonder if it was ever going to end. The seconds turned into minutes which turned into hours. I began counting the bumps I went over.

Suddenly, I hit the ground. The impact knocked the air out of me and made me fall roughly to the hard floor.

I looked around the place I was at. I had been falling for at least two hours, so I was probably in the heart of the mountain. It was a small room with a low ceiling. In the corner was a barrel, and the floor was covered with sharp stalagmites. At first, I was confused. How could I see in this room? And then I realized. There was a small glowing orb levitating three feet off the ground.

I walked towards it and reached my hand out to touch it. Yeah, probably not the wisest decision on my part. As my hand made contact with the sphere, I drew back as quick as possible. That stupid orb had burned me! I glanced at the instructions. "Do not touch the orb! It will burn you." Oh, geez. Why didn't I read the instructions?! I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Next on the piece of paper, the directions said, "Open the barrel and squeeze into it." Um….. okay then.

I squeezed into the barrel, which smelled faintly of Kugel amongst other less pleasant things. It was dripping wet with some unknown liquid; I was hoping it was water. The sickly sweet stuff dripped down my shirt, making me shiver. I pulled the lid onto the barrel and closed my eyes. The barrel dropped suddenly. I have no idea how, but I could feel the barrel falling and my stomach lurched.

Suddenly, the barrel stopped moving. I opened the lid cautiously. I was in a large cavern, with water dripping down the ceiling and a rushing underground river to the right of me. Crystals glowed faintly in the darkness. I held up the instructions and squinted in the light. it simply read "follow the river". I suddenly realized that I had left my backpack in the previous room. _Darn it._ I still had granola bars and a water bottle in my pocket in case something like this happened to me.

I sighed. Now, the only thing to do was to follow the river. I trudged into the shadows, hoping to find Kugelmugel soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

After six hours of walking, I finally couldn't take another step. The cave ended in a dead end, with no other way to go. I must almost be there, right? I held the instructions up to an illuminated gem on the cave wall to read Kugel's tiny, feminine handwriting. It was just one the many, strange glowing crystals covering the walls.

It simply said, "Jump in the water." What the heck?! The writing stopped there. I turned over the paper, but only the instructions I had read before were there. The water must be freezing flipping cold! I glanced over at the rushing waters that churned and frothed to the right of me. Oh crap. Praying that Kugelmugel was right about this, I grabbed my backpack, put the instructions in it, and jumped in the raging river.

The first thing I felt was warmth. It was very warm in the water. I opened my eyes for a second, but all I could see was black. I got the sensation of flipping underwater and there was also a feeling of rising and falling at the same time. I spun through the water at dizzying speeds, then burst out of the water.

I was in a room that had gold covering the floor. What the heck? How was this possible? I had learned by now not to question what was going on. The room was empty besides the items strewn about. I wandered around the room. It was oblong, with a tunnel on one end of it. Behind me was a deep, steaming pool of aqua water. Torches lined the walls, making the rooms illuminated with a ghostly golden glow.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" I asked. There was deathly silence. "Hello?" my voice echoed off the walls.

I heard a voice behind me. "What do you want?" The voice was raspy and harsh. I spun around. A women, maybe twenty, was standing behind me. She has dark blue skin that was clear near the hands and feet so I could see the cave behind her. White and silver spots of light covered her body that looked like stars. She had large antlers on her head, and piercing yellow eyes.

"I'm looking for my friend. Kugelmugel? He came here a little over a month ago." She rolled her topaz eyes. "Oh, him?" She gestured with her hand lazily. "What's left of him should be over there." She pointed her slender hand at a corner of the room by the tunnel. I raced over to where she was pointing. I saw a tattered white sleeve peeking out from under the gold coins.

Desperately, I shifted through the metal, looking for a sign, any sign. His white shirt was there, along with his favorite paintbrush, broken in half. I held it to my chest, bent over in sadness. I gently touched one if the splintered ends, sobbing silently. Kugelmugel would never let anyone touch his paintbrush, let alone break it. I searched through the coins more frantically through my tears, hoping to find some evidence that my little flower was alright.

My fingers closed around something cold, smooth, and waxy. I played with it for a while under the mountain of coins. I felt something metal and round around the candle like object, so I brought the object up to my face to examine it. And then screamed. I dropped it immediately and scrambled backwards, shaking. It was Kugelmugel's left ring finger. I know that because his promise ring was still on it.

"Would you keep it down over there?" Asked the demon, who was lazily picking her teeth as she lounged on a pile of gleaming gold. "What did you do to him?!" I yelled. The demon sighed. "It wasn't me, it was Algol." "Where is Kugelmugel?!" I demon shrugged. "I don't know. He's probably dead, but if by off chance he's still alive somewhere, he would be in one of the rooms down the tunnel." I swallowed. Gritting my teeth, I inched my hand over to the bloody finger. I quickly slipped off the ring and put it in my pocket.

I glanced down the dark hall, wondering if Kugelmugel was really okay somewhere. I ran into the tunnel, swinging my backpack onto my back. I was really hysterical, breathing heavily and trying not to freak out. The walls were scorched with what looked like fire, and the floors were covered with ash and random gold coins and gems.

On the floor were drops of blood. Some of the drops looked dried, like they'd been there for a long time. Other ones were more fresh, to my horror. I tried to ignore them, but I kept picturing my baby injured and being dragged down this awful hall, screaming in pain. This made me cry again, and I wiped the tears out of my eyes as I ran down that tunnel. Omigosh, why did I ever let him leave?! I should have known that he was going to get hurt. I should have got here faster. I should have realized that I loved him before he left. I might never get to tell him how I felt. He might be dead. My flower might be dead.

I saw bars on the walls that were like prison cells. Each one I passed was empty, but occasionally there was a skeleton in one of them. Kugelmugel, my flower, my flower. I called his name as loud as I could. "KUGELMUGEL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" I listened for a minute. When there was no response, I kept running and then stopped to yell his name again. I waited and listened, and I was about to give up hope before I heard a small noise. I called Kugel's name again, walking forward slowly. The tunnel branched off into two seemingly endless passages. To the left, I heard a harsh, raspy voice. "Ladonia-kun!" I ran, looking in all of the cells. "Kugelmugel, is that you?!" I yelled. "Lado…..nia...kun…." The voice was getting weaker. It was very close. I ran to each cell and looked in, my footsteps loud on the cold, ashy rock.

I glanced in a cell to the right of me and saw a flash of color. "Kugel!" I ran to the cell, banging at the bars. I noticed a door leading into the cell. "Wait a minute, I'm going to get you out of there!" The door didn't have a lock. Kugelmugel croaked out, "You can…. come….. in, but…. you can't….. leave…..."

I pushed open the door slowly. It was made of something very heavy, and it took a lot of effort to move it. So that it didn't close, I pushed a rock in between the frame and the door. I ran over to Kugelmugel and clutched his hands.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and I could see his ribs. His beautiful purple eyes had dark shadows under them, and had a haunted look to them. His arms were shackled and chained to the wall. His braids were undone and what was left of his pants were torn up and scuffed. I couldn't help but notice the bloody stump where his left ring finger used to be. He looked like he had lost all hope. This wasn't Kugelmugel. This was a shell of Kugelmugel. I was overwhelmed with anger. Why would they do this to him?!

I leaned close and wrapped my arms around his neck. "La...do...ni...a…..kun…." He groaned. I kissed his face, his neck, his chest; whispering his name over and over again. He had cuts and scratches all over his pale skin; I kissed them all the same; as if I could heal them with my lips somehow. "I love you, I love you, I love you." I ran my hands through his white hair and over his smooth chest. My hands came to a stop on his hips.

"What did they do to you?!" I said, sobbing. I clung to him, my arms wrapped around his delicate body.

I cried into his shoulder, clutching at a shirt that wasn't there. It was only when I felt a drop hit my head that I realized Kugelmugel was crying. "I'm so selfish." He sobbed. I clutched his tear-stained face. I had only seen him cry once before, and that was when I had hurt his feelings. When I started this whole mess. This was all my fault. It was my fault that he had gotten hurt and was here in my arms, almost dying. I shook my head and realized that I was crying as well.

"No, don't say that. I'm the selfish one. I'm so sorry…"

"You don't understand." said Kugel. "I should have told you to run the moment I saw you. Now that you're here, it's just a matter of time before they come and find you." I blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Kugel took a shaky breath, a tear trail on his grimy face.

"I'm so sorry, I just wanted to touch you one last time. I'm so selfish, I'm so selfish." I put my hand on Leo's cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned his cold face against my palm.

"I was hoping you would just forget about me…. let me die here…" said Kugel quietly. He shook his head sadly.

"It turns out that my most prized possession wasn't my paintbrush or my ring, although they took them anyway." Kugelmugel clenched his left fist, causing a little bit of blood to squeeze out of the scab over his severed flesh.

A feeling of dread overwhelmed my heart. "Then…. what is it?" Another tear trailed down Kugel's face, running over my fingers. What he said next nearly stopped my heart.

"My memories of you." Kugelmugel turned his head, causing my hand to be knocked off.

"Why do they need me here to take the memories, though?" I asked.

"They don't. They just wanted to see your face when my memories of you are obliterated." I wrapped my arms around Kugel's waist.

"My poor little flower. You're not selfish. I don't care what happens, I just wanted to see you." I whispered. Kugel coughed violently, and blood trickled out of his mouth. I took my fingers and wiped it away so that I could kiss him.

"I love you, my flower." I said, choking up. Kugelmugel leaned forward and weakly kissed me back.

"Say it again." he said gently.

"I love you." I said quietly into his neck.

"I love hearing you say that." said Kugelmugel.

"Do you love me back?" I asked.

"I love you so much. I always have. When I'm with you, it's like I'm in heaven." Kugelmugel responded.

"Let's enjoy these last moments." I said. Kugelmugel sighed.

"It's too late, I can hear him coming." Kugelmugel squinted his eyes shut and shivered. I heard light footsteps pattering down the tunnel. What did this monster look like? How old was he?

"He finally showed, heeheehee!" I looked over to the door, where a little boy stood, a creepy smile on his face and a blood-crusted knife in his hand. He had wide, psychotic orange eyes and his transparent form was shaded like the sunset with speckled of gold. He had tiny antlers just beginning to grow, and piercings on his pointed, elf-like ears.

He closed his eyes, and while they where closed he was taller, more muscular, and had a giant rack of antlers. The demon opened his eyes, and he turned young again. Whenever he blinked, his older form showed.

"Looks like you finally showed, heeheehee." He said, grinning. It was not a friendly smile. He tilted his head. "Shall I take you somewhere with other demons, heeheehee?"

Kugel shook his head, shivering. The demon staggered forward, and turned to his adult form. He broke the chains on Kugelmugel's hands and grabbed him roughly by his hair. He cried out in pain, but was too weakened to do anything to fight back. I stood still as the demon, presumably Algol, handcuffed me. He grabbed the chain I was connected to and pulled Kugelmugel and I down the hall, Kugelmugel limp and dragged on the ground, moaning a bit when his body went over a sharp rock, leaving a trail of blood behind him. I wanted to pick him up and carry him, but Algol was keeping me on a short leash, so I could only walk an inch closer before the chain stopped me.

"Kugel!" I yelled. "Stay awake, you have to stay awake!" Kugel opened his clear eyes and gave me an expression that ripped out my heart. "D- don't... die... Please... you have to stay alive." I said, trying not to cry again. I had to be strong. For Kugel. I saw a purple light up ahead and knew our journey was almost over. Kugelmugel's face was covered with pain, fear, and tears.

We came into the room, where many beautiful demons sat on thrones of coins, gems, and fruits. Their eyes followed us as we came into the room. I saw the female demon from earlier to the right of me. She gave me a weak smile for some reason. As I passed her, she whispered into my ear, "I'm sorry. We would help you, but Algol is the demon prince, and there's nothing we can do."

Algol came to a stop in the middle of the room. "Witness before you the ugly, weak race of the humans. Watch as I erase this insolent human's memories." He kicked Kugel's stomach very hard, right where he already had a giant bruise. The limp Kugelmugel gave a small, weak noise, not even opening his eyes.

"A final goodbye, hmmm?" Algol loosened my chains and I ran over to Kugel. I felt his face, his hair, his lips. "Kugel, my flower. My broken flower." I slipped the ring on Kugel's right ring finger. I kissed him. "I love you."

"Let's go! Come on, hurry up already!" Algol yelled. He pulled me back, and I struggled against the chains, but it was no use.

"Don't look away from my eyes!" I yelled. Kugelmugel's pained eyes met mine. Tears were welled in them, glittering one hundred times prettier than the diamonds around us. The dirt and ash and scarlet blood on Kugelmugel's body made him even more beautiful to me. We kept our gazes together as Algol strided forward and put his fingers to Leo's forehead. Kugelmugel screamed in pain, never breaking our eye contact. "I love you, I love you, I love you." Kugel whispered over and over again. Kugel began to close his eyelids.

"No!" I yelled. "You have to keep them open!"

"I love you, I love you." said Kugel with his eyes closed. Algol laughed maniacally.

"I love you too, my flower." I said quietly. As the last of Kugel's memories were taken away, Kugel whispered, "I'm sorry."

Then everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

When I woke up, I was in my bed at home. Amongst the soft red quilt and silky sheets, it was almost believable that it had all been a dream. However, the cuts all over my body told me otherwise. _Kugel._ I ran out the door, not even bothering to do anything to help my appearance.

_Kugel._

I dashed down the hall, my torn, bloody clothes out of place amongst the beautiful cream wallpaper and azure carpets. I glanced in a mirror on the wall, one that the girls of the school often crowded around when they were in a hurry.

I stopped in shock at the sight of my reflection. My face was covered with ash and blood, my eyes haunted, my body skinny. I touched my cheek to make sure it was really me. How long had I been gone? I shook my head to clear my churning thoughts.

Right now, I just needed to find Kugel. I flew down the hall and came to a creamy off-white door. Taking in a deep breath, I hesitantly opened the door, a little apprehensive of what I would find behind it. My hand still on the knob, I pushed the door open.

Kugel was there, staring at his hand. He didn't even notice me at first, until I stepped in and the door closed softly. He whipped around at the sound.

"Wh- who are you? What are you doing in here?" he stammered, backing away from me, his braids swishing across his back.

"Kugel, it's me! Ladonia!" I frowned, tears welling up in my eyes. I knew that they had taken away his memories… why was I so disappointed? I should have been prepared for this. The younger boy just took another step backwards.

"La… donia…" he mumbled, as if the name meant something to him. His face was twisted with confusion, just like the river painted on a canvas in front of him. I nodded and bit my lip, hoping against hope that he would remember, that we could be like normal again…

"I… get out of my dorm, please. I don't know you."

Kugelmugel POV

I woke up this morning covered in ash,grime, and blood. It took me a second, but then I remembered the star demons. The pain. The blood. I remembered leaving to go reverse a wish that was made. They didn't think what I had brought was my most prized possession, so they had tortured me. They had taken something away, something important. But somehow I had forgotten what.

But that name, Ladonia. It stirred something in my heart, but I couldn't quite catch what it was. I didn't understand the feelings that were barraging me from the inside when I saw him come in, or why he was crying. His tears seemed to tighten my heartstrings even more, and I couldn't stand it.

"I…" I began, but my mind refused to finish. "Get out of my dorm, please. I don't know you."

He looked so crushed. His orange hair fell across his face as he ran out of my room, leaving an empty feeling inside me. And I still didn't have a single clue as to why.

Ladonia POV

I didn't feel like returning to my classes anymore. Really, I didn't feel like doing anything. Losing the love of your life kind of has that effect on you. When I realized that I was hungry, three hours later, I stood up from my bed and trudged to the mini fridge in my dorm. Nothing there held my interest, and I knew I'd just end up throwing it up after crying. So, what was the point?

I heard a knock at the door, timid and quiet. At first I stayed put, not moving and hoping that whoever it was would run off like a good little annoyance. But then another knock came, a little louder. Then a third, strong and persistent. I sighed and got up to get the door, glad that I had taken a shower earlier.

A surprising sight met me on my doorstep, making my eyes go wide. Kugel stood there, that beautiful shy smile on his face that I loved so much, his hair tied up neatly in a two-braid ponytail.

"Kugel?" I asked, confused. He nodded unsurely, still smiling.

"Hi. Ladonia-kun, right?"

I silently moved my head in some kind of agreement.

"Oh, okay." he sounded uncertain again. "Well, I was hoping- er, wondering if you wanted to… I don't know, hang out."

I smiled and swept him up in a hug before I realized what I was doing. I opened my eyes and blushed, noticing that my arms were around him. "O- oh, sorr-"

Then he hugged me back. His thin arms were wrapped around my back and his face was buried in my chest.

"I feel like I've lost something important," he muttered. "I hope you can help me get it back."

The End


End file.
